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National Century Financial Enterprises Inc., which provides financing for health-care providers, said it would halt operations in the next few months because its debts are too large to allow it to emerge from bankruptcy protection.

Jean-Marie Messier, former chief executive of Vivendi Universal, resigned from the board of the New York Stock Exchange. Messier joined the board of the exchange in 2001 when he was running Vivendi, which is listed on the NYSE. Messier quit the debt-ridden media conglomerate in July.